Let's Encrypt has opened to the public, allowing anyone to obtain Free SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security) certificates for their web servers and to set up HTTPS websites in a few simple steps (mentioned below).

Let's Encrypt – an initiative run by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG) – is a new, free, and open certificate authority recognized by all major browsers, including Google's Chrome, Mozilla's Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

The Free SSL Certification Authority is now in public beta after testing a trial among a select group of volunteers.

How to Renew Let's Encrypt Free SSL Certificate: It is important to note that the beta version of Let's Encrypt issues certificates that expire after 90 days. So, to renew your SSL certificate, you need to run the letsencrypt-autoscript again after expiration.

FREE HTTPS Certificates for Everyone!

So, now it's time for the Internet to take a significant step forward in terms of security and privacy. With Let's Encrypt, the team wants HTTPS becomes the default and to make that possible for everyone, it had built Let's Encrypt in such a way that it is easy to obtain and manage.

"There's a reward going for anyone who can find a security hole in the service," the team wrote in a blog post. "We have more work to do before we're comfortable dropping the beta label entirely, particularly on the client experience."

"Automation is a cornerstone of our strategy, and we need to make sure that the client works smoothly and reliably on a wide range of platforms. We'll be monitoring feedback from users closely, and making improvements as quickly as possible."

Let's Encrypt had signed its first free HTTPS certificate in September, and its client software emerged in early November. Since then the team has been finding flaws in their systems before going public.